Good Morning, Starshine
by deadlyfuzzies
Summary: When 17 year old Veronica Lewis is orphaned, she goes to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousin in the strange and eccentric world of Wonka's Chocolate Factory.
1. The Earth Says Hello

Good Morning, Starshine

It seemed as if the roof was to come down from raining, even on this gigantic place. Veronica looked around her old house with an empty sort of stare, taking in the walls that had been stripped of all their new-age art decor, and the floors that were empty of all rugs and furniture.

_You'd think, _she thought, _you'd think I'd have more than a few suitcases worth to bring...but I suppose none of that trash is really worth dragging across the Atlantic. _

She tucked a flyaway strand of hair behind her ear, sighing a little. _And why aren't I sad about leaving?_

A resounding chime rang through the front hall, and she gathered up her suitcases, dragging them all to the door to greet the damp taximan. Her responses to his cheery inquiries were minimum, and by the time they were driving down the street, he had given up on talking to her. She leaned her forehead against the cold window, feeling as if it were burning up inside the unbearable heat of the car, and watched the raindrops make their way across the window.

_I think, though, I might miss New York._

She raced the raindrops against each other across the window all the way to the JFK airport. It was a dreary flight across the ocean, and she took very little in, watching the in-flight movie with little interest. But finally, after hours that ticked by like years, the plane was ready to land, and Veronica sat up straighter, looking out the window at her new home with a sudden bright glimmer of interest.

The airplane lowered itself through the dim clouds towards the shining city below. Lights and signs glittered upon the Earth, twinkling merrily through the snowflakes that flittered down, brushing softly against the windows of the plane before continuing their journey downward.

_"Now arriving at the London International Airport. Please remain seated until the plane lands..." _

Veronica pulled out a small photograph showing a smiling man and woman. Her eyes rested on the woman's face for a moment before putting the photo back in her pocket, and looking back out the window to watch the landing.

------

Mr. Bartholemew Bucket studied the picture in his hand - a photo of a seventeen-year-old girl with hazel eyes and rather plain, dirty-straw-colored hair. She had a bright smile in the picture, and a nice deep blue dress - it was obviously a school photo of some sort, perhaps one she had taken back when she had been planning to graduate from the high school she once attended in New York City. He'd never met the girl, but he could see his wife, Kaitlyn Bucket, in her face - it was, after all, his neice. But he hadn't seen his sister-in-law since...well...since the falling-out they had, back before his old bookstore had gone broke...even before Charlie was born. _Well, they certainly aren't very close in age, but hopefully she'll have a friend. She'll need one in this time. _

He sighed, leaning against the wall and watching as the docking gates opened and passengers came pouring out, hugging and kissing loved ones and laughing. _Loosing your parents...and right before Christmas, too. That must be hard._

Bartholemew's eyes landed on a girl in the midst of the passengers, who was looking around curiously. He glanced at the picture, and then went over to greet her.

"Er...hi, are you...Veronica Lewis?" He asked nervously. She looked up and nodded.

"Uhm...Uncle Bartholemew?" She asked, sounding equally nervous. He sighed in relief and smiled warmly, nodding.

"Yes, that's me. How are...how are you feeling?" His smile turned into a worried frown. She looked away.

"I'm ok."

Bartholemew's frown became stronger, but he let it pass. _Must be hard to talk about, poor girl._

"Well, let's go get your bags!" He said, feigning cheerieness. He picked up one of her carry-ons for her and they headed for the baggage department.

-----

After the two had gotten the bags loaded into Mr. Bucket's car, they hopped in and began the long drive towards home. Unlike in the cab, this car was freezing. Veronica shivered a little and pulled her skirt down over her knees, rubbing her legs together to keep them warm.

"Er, sorry about the cold," Mr. Bucket smiled apologetically, "Heating's broken. I'm needing to fix that."

"S'okay." She replied in a small hiss through her chattering teeth. It was all she could manage. After a moment, she looked over at him. "Didn't you guys, like, win some gigantic prize or something? My parents...um...didn't say much about it."

Bartholemew nodded. "Well...I would tell you about it, but my son wants you to be surprised." He smiled warmly over at her. "He's very excited to meet his cousin."

She gave a weak smile back. "Cool. Don't Grandma and Grandpa live with you guys."

Bartholemew nodded again. "Yep. They're looking forward to seeing you as well."

Slowly the busy roads of London gave way to quieter streets, until they had entered a little town on the outskirts of the grand city. Veronica looked out, eyebrows raised at the quaint little town. An enormous set of factory towers loomed in the distance, and they continued making their way towards them until they had arrived at the gates, Veronica growing more and more confused.

"Uh...is this where you work?" She asked, looking up at the gigantic building.

"No, this is home." Bartholemew grinned. "Surprised?"

She looked positively confounded. "Yeah...?"

"Don't tell me you haven't heard of Wonka's Chocolate factory."

"I don't watch much TV...this is it?" She blinked, her eyes brightening. "So...it was your son that won that one contest thing? I barely heard a word about it."

"No? That's surprising. I'd of thought everyone had heard."

"I kinda spent a lot of time on schoolwork this year. Junior year was a hard one; I barely had any time to pay attention to that sort of thing."

Bartholemew parked the car just inside the gate. "Yeah? Well, this is it."

_I wonder, though, what she'll think when she meets the owner of this place...or the other way around, for that matter._


	2. An Introduction

Chapter 2: An Introduction to the Best Darn Guy that Ever Lived

To start off – thanks to everyone for the great reviews! I'm glad you enjoyed!

-----

The first thing that hit Veronica when she stepped outside of the car was the smell. It hit her head-on, infiltrating her every pore and melting itself in, making the very air around her warm and thick and going on to heat every inch of her shivering body. Although she wasn't at all hungry, her mouth began to water at the very taste of the snowy air.

_This smell…it's…it's…_

"Chocolate," she whispered aloud.

It was true; she had never smelled something more heavenly – she'd never even smelled chocolate like this, let alone tasted it.

Bartholomew had gone over and opened a small door in the side of the factory, and more delectable smells ushered them inside, the waves of warm, chocolate-saturated air practically dragging her into the factory.

Once inside, Veronica stood, looking around. She barely noticed her uncle taking her coat, but managed to thank him softly as she gaped at her surroundings with wide eyes.

They were in an immense hall; the floor was carpeted in crimson, and the ceiling seemed to be miles high. She stepped softly across the carpet, almost afraid to make any noise.

Bartholomew smiled at her. "Like it?"

All she could manage was a nod and a "Yeah".

He grinned wider. "You haven't even seen 'home' yet." He excitedly guided her down the hall and towards a little door that couldn't have been more than a half a foot high. She watched, utterly mystified, yet awed, as he bent down and unlocked the tiny door, and then pushed on the wall, which opened up (with another wave of warm chocolate air) to reveal the most amazing thing she had ever seen in all seventeen years.

Fields of lush, perfect green stretched out in front of her, foliage of every sort growing in all directions. But the flowers weren't flowers at all – they were candy! Candy of all colors, glittering in the lights of the high domed ceiling, shining so invitingly that even people that hated sweets would have been immediately seduced. Gigantic mushrooms and pumpkins of every shade and size were in every nook and cranny, shadowed by trees bearing candy apples and gummy fruits. And, the most amazing thing, a gigantic waterfall roared in the background – a gigantic waterfall made entirely of _chocolate. _It was the sweetest, loveliest chocolate Veronica had ever seen, melted and warm, hitting a running river of even more chocolate that frothed and churned, letting forth yet more of that heavenly aroma. The dark brown river ran directly through the enormous indoor park, right past a little shack that would have seemed out of place, but instead added a rather homey, fairytale-like touch to the place. Smoke rose from the chimney and lights glimmered cheerily from inside.

Veronica stood, speechless, her senses going into overdrive. "Is it…it's all real?" She finally stuttered out.

Bartholomew nodded. "Yeah…that's, well, that's Mr. Wonka for you." He laughed. "He's, well, he's a miracle-worker I guess you could say. If there's anyone who can work real magic, it's him." His eyes were filled with a sort of awe as well, as if even though he lived there, he still couldn't quite wrap his mind around his new home.

Just then, the door to the little house burst open, and a young boy, no more than eleven, came rushing out, across a bridge, and towards Veronica and her uncle. A warmly smiling woman followed him, walking slower to help an older woman across the way.

The boy rushed up as if he was about to hug Veronica, but skidded to a halt right in front of her, a gigantic grin lighting up his entire face. That smile of his made Veronica want to smile herself, it was so infectious. There was no getting around it; the kid was absolutely adorable.

"Hi! I'm Charlie." He stuck out his hand, and she took it, giving a small shake, and smiled weakly at him. "This is my mom," he continued, "and that's Grandma Josephine."

Veronica's face immediately brightened; she hadn't seen her grandmother in…well…thirteen years now? The old woman hugged her tightly, and then pulled her back, shaking her head, a sad smile on her face.

"Oh, dear little Veronica…" She looked her granddaughter up and down, and laughed. "You've certainly grown!"

Veronica laughed a little. "You too, Grandma Josephine." Suddenly, she felt something come up into her chest, squeezing her ribcage and making a space somewhere behind her eyes tighten for a moment. She swallowed hard and it was gone.

Kaitlyn Bucket smiled and kissed her husband. "Grandpa Joe is back in the house; he's getting a few last things together. He's very excited you're here and it's sending him right up the wall with preparations." She laughed a little. Ever since Bartholomew Bucket had gotten that new job and things had been going better with both his and Charlie's salaries combined, the Buckets had been doing much better- she herself was filling out, no longer gaunt and hungry-looking, and she wore a new dress and apron.

Charlie nodded. "Oh, and Mr. Wonka is just working a few last things out on his latest project. He should be here soon." He looked over at his parents to explain. "He came up with the idea, so I let him have it to himself; I'm working on a few things myself anyway."

Veronica watched this interchange, slightly confused, but nodded a little.

Very suddenly, a loud explosion resounded throughout the factory. Veronica let out something that sounded very much akin to a squawk, and stumbled backwards, falling over a lollipop bush to land flat on her behind in the candy grass.

A few moments later, the door to the room opened, and a bunch of tiny men in orange jumpsuits stumbled in, all of them covered in ash, some of them with their hair smoking. Closely following them was a man (normal-sized) wearing a long plum overcoat and a matching top hat, apparently completely unscathed by the blast. He nodded at the tiny men. "Better go get yourselves cleaned up and then get back to that mess in the inventing room," He said in a light, jovial voice. The men crossed their arms in a strange sort of a salute, and filed away.

Although he seemed to be around Mr. Bucket's age, the man's eyes shone with a light like that of a child's. He strolled over to where the Buckets were standing, twirling his cane a bit and smiling merrily at all of them, seeming to take absolutely no notice at all of Veronica half sitting, half lying in the grass.

"Sorry 'bout that explosion. I was just working on my new invention – Wonka's Fudgealicious Chocolate Snap-Bangers. There's still a few bugs needing to be worked out, though." He gave the others a wild grin, and then took notice of the girl on the ground. He leaned over her curiously. "Hey, why're you sitting on the ground like that? There's plenty of other places to sit that I'm sure would be much more comfortable, y'know."

Veronica stared up at her, completely weirded out. _What is this guy – some sort of psychopathic man-child? _

"I didn't mean to sit here." She said, her voice rather curt.

The man gave her a bemused look. "Well then, why'd you do it?" He giggled rather impishly as she stood up and brushed herself off. "You're kinda silly, ar'ncha?"

Veronica just stared at him, one eyebrow raised and the corner of her mouth twitching a bit.

The strange man ignored her silence and turned to the Buckets. "So, what's she doing here anyway?" He gestured at the newcomer with his cane. Veronica flushed indignantly.

"Eh, she's my niece, Mr. Wonka," Said Bartholomew, "She's come to stay with us for the time being."

Wonka blinked a little, looking back and forth from Bartholomew to Veronica. "Why? Doesn't she have any pa…puh…per…moms and dads?"

Mr. Bucket shifted uncomfortably. "Uh…well…."

He risked an apologetic glance at his niece, who looked stonily back at him, and drew Wonka aside. "Y'see," he said in a low voice, "They…they've just died."

_Trust Wonka to forget something like this at the most inopportune time…_

Wonka nodded slowly, comprehension sinking in, and looked over at Veronica seriously. "That's a bad thing." He stated, as if halfway reminding himself, like a child going over a school lesson.

Bartholomew nodded awkwardly and turned, going back over to his wife.

"So…dinner ready yet, love?" He said, trying overly hard to sound cheery.

She started a little. "Oh. Oh, yes. Come along everyone. Mr. Wonka, you're staying for dinner, right?"

"Oh, yes please!" Wonka's face brightened, and he followed her towards the house.

_Oh, joy. _Veronica thought. _Well…this is an…interesting first impression. _ She grimaced a little. She had known what her uncle was saying to Wonka. Why couldn't anyone just come out and say it as if it wasn't some sort of dirty secret? _I'm not five, for heaven's sakes. I know my parents are dead._

That squeezing feeling started up again for a minute, but she swallowed it back down and followed the others into the house.

Charlie, who had watched the entire conversation in a thoughtful silence, gave his cousin a sad, worried look, and trailed after her, biting his lip a little in thought.

-----

Deadlyfuzzies: Well, off to a kind of a rocky start in the relationship, aren't we? I think there's going to be a lot of them getting on each other's nerves before they can reconcile and continue on. Any helpful ideas are appreciated, and thank you again!


	3. Table Conversation

**Chapter Three: Table Conversation**

Deadlyfuzzies: Thanks to everyone again for all of the great reviews! Sorry about taking so long – this chapter was really hard to write…I hate writing transitional stories! Grah. Thanks for your patience and support!

Another note- I just saw the movie again, and I think that I heard Grandpa Joe call Mrs. Bucket 'Alice' at one point, so Kaitlyn has officially changed her name until further notice (aka – until I get the dvd so I can check via subtitle).

----

The delectable smells within the little shack of a house were enough to push out all the chocolaty smells from outside. Roast chicken, salad, and potato soup filled the air with nourishing, lovely aromas that were nearly as mouth-watering as the candy outside.

Veronica breathed the scents in deeply as soon as she entered, feeling her stomach growl, and very suddenly realizing that she had never even bothered to eat anything for lunch.

"Veronica!" An older man suddenly came springing over from across the room, enveloping Veronica in a large hug that seemed rather strong for one of his age. She blinked in surprise, but then hugged the old man back just as tight.

"Hi Grandpa Joe!" She nuzzled against him, smelling the musty scent of his plaid shirt and feeling the warmth of his steady heartbeat, still going strong even after all of these years. "I'm so glad to see you!" And it was true – Grandpa Joe had been a favored grandparent when she was a child. He had always given her little treats and tokens, or perhaps a pound to go down the street and buy herself a candy bar. But she hadn't seen him, or the rest of the family, since her mother and father had packed up and moved to America.

"Okay, dinner's ready, everyone!" Alice Bucket clapped her hands together and called out merrily. There was a great bustle as everyone took their seats and Alice set the platters of scrumptious food on the table. Veronica raised an eyebrow as Wonka took off his hat to reveal a haircut that, last she checked, went out of style in around the sixteenth century. However, somehow, it seemed to suit him – it didn't look bad at all. In the end, after a whole lot of shuffling and hubbub, Veronica wound up between her aunt and Wonka. She reached up, grabbing her napkin and spreading it on her lap, and felt her arm brush against his. He shifted uneasily at the contact, glittering eyes darting down towards her warily, and she raised her eyebrow a little.

A bit jumpy to the touch, isn't he? 

Veronica ventured a glance back up at him, only to see that he was watching her out of the corner of his eye. The sight inspired another eyebrow-raise – his eyes were _purple. _

_What freak has purple eyes? Are they contacts, or just…?_

She looked away again, down at her plate, but she could feel his eyes drilling into the back of her skull. She gritted her teeth, narrowing her eyes down at the silverware. _Augh. What's his problem?_

Alice nudged her. "Hon? You want the soup?" She handed over the bowl of steaming, delicious broth. Veronica blinked.

"Oh, right." She took it, spooning some of the delicious soup into her bowl, and passing it on to Wonka. He delicately took the bowl from her, his gloved hands carefully avoiding hers in a graceful, dance-like movement.

Her eyes flickered towards him, and then back down to her plate again. She ate in silence, not speaking a word as the others chatted amiably with each other about their day.

Bartholomew suddenly spoke up. "Willy, you haven't said much. How did your day go?" He shoveled in a piece of salad, leaning forward intently. Alice poked him. "No elbows on the table, honey." She hissed under her breath. Bartholomew flushed a little, self-consciously yanking his arms off the table and rolling his eyes up at the ceiling. His son giggled a little, shaking his head and grinning ear-to-ear.

Wonka started at Bartholomew's question, apparently deep in thought. "Oh. Yes. Uh…I was working on my Snap-Bangers, and I'm…yep." He looked down at his soup with a tight-lipped smile, dipping in his spoon in a sleek, elegant movement and then lifting it to his lips. "Mm. Good." He let out a seemingly forced laugh, his eyes darting to every face at the table almost franticly.

Charlie nudged him a little with his elbow, staring up at him curiously. _'You okay?'_ He mouthed. Wonka grinned in his partner brightly, and quickly turned back to his plate, taking another bite of soup.

"Well…that's nice." Alice said. "Thanks." She turned and looked over at Veronica. "So, Veronica, er…I set up for you to go and meet the headmistress of Saint Catherine's School for Girls, and then we can get your school supplies and uniform, and if you want, you can start Tuesday, if you feel up to it that is." She smiled at her niece (_overly optimistically, _Veronica thought).

"Uh, yeah, that sounds cool." Veronica said, looking down at her plate, and then around at the shack awkwardly. "Look, I was thinking…wondering…can I…would you mind if I got a job…you know, paid for my own tuition? I don't want to impose upon you." Her face flushed hotly.

Bartholomew and Alice looked at each other and back at Veronica.

"Well, that's alright, I suppose…that is, if you're sure. We really don't mind paying for the rest of your schooling at all." Bartholomew's voice was gentle and worried-sounding.

"It's only half a year," Alice added.

Veronica shook her head. "No. No, I mean…you're already paying for Charlie."

Wonka suddenly spoke up, cutting Charlie off as he was about to open his mouth. "Actually, Charlie doesn't go to school. He works with me. You see, I don't believe in school." He smirked a little, almost arrogantly. She raised both eyebrows. "What's your reasoning behind _that?"_

He shrugged, chewing on a piece of chicken. "It's so constricting." He said simply, his mouth full.

Veronica nodded once, eyebrows raised ironically as she looked away from him back down to her plate. "O-kaaay…." She whispered under her breath, then looked back up at her aunt. "Erm, anyway, it's not like I don't appreciate what you're trying to do for me, it's just…" She sighed, rolling a chicken leg between her fingers. "I'm going to be on my own in a year anyway, and I want to be self-sufficient. I don't want to be leaning on anyone."

Alice looked over at her husband, and then back at Veronica, her eyes warm. "Alright then. If that's what you think is best, then we'll back you on it. But!" She held up a finger to silence Veronica. "If you ever need anything, feel free to come to us. And I insist on making your meals for you." Her slender hand covered Veronica's, giving it a gentle squeeze. Her niece smiled up at her gratefully, and for a moment, Alice thought that she saw the girl's hazel eyes water for a moment before Veronica looked away again quickly.

"Well, I think that's a perfectly sensible way to look at it." Grandpa George wiggled a finger at Mr. and Mrs. Bucket. "Kids these days never think about what it'll be like on their own, and it makes them stupid and lazy." Grandma Georgina was nodding contentedly to what he was saying, but Veronica wondered if she even realized what the topic of conversation was about.

"You might want to work here, Veronica," Grandpa Joe piped in. "It's certainly close to home." He looked hopefully over at Charlie.

His grandson shook his head. "Don't look at me – I'm still just an apprentice. I don't know anything about business."

All eyes turned to Wonka. He was looking sidelong at Veronica, eyes narrowed.

"No." He finally said, once again making it sound amazingly simple. "There's just no vacancies anywhere. The Oompa-Loompas take care of everything, you see." He beamed at her. "Sorry."

Veronica shrugged, thinking to herself that he did not, in fact, look in the least bit sorry. "S'okay." She replied, inside breathing a sigh of relief.

"Well, there's plenty of other places to work," Charlie gave his cousin an apologetic smile. "I can help you look, if you like."

"Sure, I guess." Veronica gave Charlie a warm look.

Alice stood. "Well then, who wants dessert?"

"Oh!" Wonka's hand shot up, bumping his silverware and sending it clattering in the process. Veronica winced.

_Yeah, okay, I can get used to this._

_Maybe._

_---- _

Mrs. Bucket's apple pie had been swiftly devoured, and everyone was sitting around the table, laughing and chatting away about everything and nothing. After a while, Mrs. Bucket looked up at the clock. "Alright, Charlie, it's past your bed time. If you want you can walk Willy home, first, though." She patted her son on the back and stood, stacking the plates and carrying them to the sink. Charlie nodded and jumped off his chair. Likewise, Wonka stood, taking his hat and jacket from the rack and putting them on with practiced dexterity.

"Thank you for dinner," He said, giving Alice a slight bow and taking his cane from where it leaned against the wall.

"Of course, Willy." Bartholomew grinned at his friend, carrying some dirty trays over to his wife. "We'll see you tomorrow, then."

Wonka nodded, his violet eyes darting with an uneasy look over to where Veronica sat, talking softly with her grandmother. He smiled back over at the Buckets, and swept out the tilted door into the powdered-sugar snowflakes that were now falling outside.

Charlie followed his friend outside, having to jog over the sweet-grass to keep up with the chocolatier.

"Are you okay?" He asked, shivering a little. Wonka had the temperature lowered at night in the winter-time to simulate actual winter, and then raised it again in the morning when the Oompa-Loompas came in to harvest the sweets.

Wonka shrugged a little. "Sure I'm okay. I'm okay as okay can be, and you know what? I'm okay."

"Liar."

The older man paused for a moment.

"Yeah."

"So…what's going on?" Charlie tucked his hands under his armpits to keep them warm as he walked with his friend.

"It's just…well, it's your cousin."

"What about her?" Charlie's brows furrowed as he looked up at the man.

"Well…" Wonka looked around, hissing a breath in between his teeth. "When I said your family could come in, I never thought that would mean more than, y'know, your family."

"She _is _my family."

"Yeah, but she wasn't part of the original set." Wonka waved his cane around a little. "How do I even know if she will keep her mouth shut or not! And she's going to…" He swallowed disgustedly. "She's going to school, and there's _tons _of people at school that will be begging to come over and she'll be asking me and…well, you know."

Charlie sighed. "You didn't even want to let her in here, did you?"

"No." Wonka said sourly.

"She's got no family."

There was a long silence. There was a vacant look in Wonka's eyes that Charlie knew meant his friend was thinking. However, whatever Wonka was thinking was cut short as he promptly tripped over the very same lollipop bush that Veronica had earlier. He toppled forward, landing face-first in the grass. A moment later he picked himself up, looking warily back at the bush. "Who put that there?" He muttered, dusting off his jacket with a few swipes of his gloved hands. Charlie snorted a little, swiftly disguising it by coughing.

The two walked the rest of the way to the elevator in silence. Wonka pressed the button to open it and stepped inside, looking back at his little friend. "Well, she can stay, but make sure you don't let her make any trouble." He waved his cane jokingly at Charlie, but the smile on his face still didn't fully masked the distant, slightly troubled look in his eyes. He jabbed the button that would take him to his private quarters, and nodded at Charlie, smiling a little. "Seeya tomorrow, pardner."

"Bye." Charlie gave his friend a small wave, and turned, trotting back across the factory to his warm, lit house.

----

Deadlyfuzzies: Phew! So, in the next chapter things can actually get _interesting! _Sorry if this chapter was a bit on the boring side, and thanks for the great reviews so far!


	4. Incident in Candy Land

Chapter Four: An Incident in Candy Land

It was lovely and warm when Veronica woke up, and she was sweating quite a bit in the heavy pajama pants and top she had put on the night before. She slowly sat up in her bed, letting her surroundings sink in. She was in the loft of the Bucket's house, and a few feet away Charlie snored lightly on his little cot. Rubbing her eyes, Veronica looked around at the place in daylight. The walls were covered with pictures Charlie had drawn, and several wrappers off Wonka Bars. She looked curiously at them, wondering why in the world he would have those wrappers hanging up on his wall when there was an endless supply of them in the very same building. She shrugged to herself, rising to her feet, and went over to her suitcase that had become an impromptu dresser drawer until she had enough money to get one of her own. Again, her aunt and uncle had offered to buy her one, or even let her use theirs, but she had put her foot down.

Pulling out some new clothes, she snuck down the stairs and past the bed full of grandparents into the little bathroom they all shared. It was old, and the sink was coming off the wall a bit, but Alice kept it very clean and tidy. Dressing quickly and brushing her teeth, Veronica quietly hurried from the bathroom and back through the little house. She paused at the bottom of the stairs.

Well, I could just read until they all wake up, but… She took a deep breath, letting all the flavors coming from outside sink into her. Her lips spread apart in a little smile, and she slipped out the door, careful not to slam it and wake the rest of the Buckets. 

Wonka had programmed the lights to come on and go off very slowly, as if to give the impression of dawn and twilight. Now they were dim, but very gently strengthening, illuminating the shining green grass and the glittering candy trees along the riverbank. The smile on Veronica's face broadened, and she jogged up the path, over the arc that made a bridge over the river of chocolate. She paused there, listening to the thunder of the falls and watching in wonder as the gallons upon gallons of chocolate crashed into the river below with a mighty roar. She paused there for a long while, and then turned, going down the other side of the arc, and trotted lightly and easily through the candy forest.

_It's like in that old game I played as a kid…what was it? Candyland, yeah. This is exactly like that…_

She turned slowly around, looking up at all the wonders of the strange, fantastical park, wanting so bad to just reach out and touch but somehow wary, as if it would be some sort of unforgivable sin.

"I suppose it wouldn't be right to eat anything without permission," she said to herself, "but just a little touch wouldn't hurt, would it?"

Carefully, she reached out one finger and brushed it against a candy apple tree. She started. Although the tree appeared to be made out of an amber-colored candy, it had been carefully molded to have grooves and bumps in it so that felt almost exactly like real tree bark. She touched it again in amazement, and then continued on, kneeling on the grass and brushing it with her fingertips.

_It most certainly isn't real grass, but…_

Again, the grass had the exact right feel to it, as if it could have been any grass in any park. But it was a little too green, a little too lovely, for that.

Curiously examining everything in her path, Veronica made her way down to the chocolate river, looking at her brown reflection on the surface that rippled and eddied with the river's flow. _Probably won't mean a thing if I just dip a finger in; there's plenty to go around anyway._

Veronica leaned over the bank. It was a little above the actual river, so she had lean far over to reach. Her fingers dug into the bank a little to keep her from falling in as she reached.

Her finger had nearly touched the flow when suddenly a loud voice called out, "Wait!". Veronica, startled, lost her balance, and with a shriek, began to topple forward into the surging river of molten chocolate.

-----

All Wonka had done was come down for a candy apple. Was that so much to ask for? He rarely had much time to eat his own candy anyway; he was always much to busy. But today he had woken up with the undeniable craving for a candy apple, and had quickly trotted downstairs in his dressing gown (no one would be up at that time to see him in such an unflattering state) to get one. And, as soon as he walked into the 'harvesting room' as he liked to call it, there had been that…that _girl. _And _that girl _was _about to touch his chocolate._

"Wait!" He called out, his heart leaping into a panic. _No no no NO NO NO._

But the girl…Vatania? No, Vermillion? Whatever. The girl had not been expecting him, and with a shriek that threatened to damage his delicate ears (as he was lead to think) began to topple forward.

All that had gone through his mind was the single thought, "Oh no, not again."

With a great leap he bounded forward, grabbing for the nearest part of her body possible that would stop her from _tainting his lovely chocolate._

Which, as it happened, was a fistful of her long blonde hair.

The girl let out another squeak, this time of pain, that sounded like some sort of yip, and wind-milled her arms chaotically to try and get something to grab a hold of.

_Girls, _Wonka thought disgustedly. He grabbed hold of a tree, and using that as leverage, pulled her back up.

Veronica's eyes were watery with pain. The nerves along her scalp were screaming in agony. After all, getting pulled up by one's hair, well…that was certainly not a bucket of fun. She gingerly rubbed her head as she turned around and glared up at the strange-looking man in his silk dressing robe and slippers.

"What was that for! You nearly made me fall in!" She cried, glaring daggers at him. He looked down his nose at her, crossing his arms. "Well, you asking for it, about to touch my chocolate like that."

"What's wrong with that? There's plenty."

He leaned over her, his face close, the expression on it extremely grave with a tint of annoyance. "Well, how in the world would I have the best chocolate ever if it was tainted with little tiny bits of people? Hello? That's _sickening. _It can't be the best _anything _if it's impure like that." He wrinkled his nose in revulsion, grimacing. "Ew. I can't even _think _about that. Do you know what I went through to cleanse my chocolate the last time some bumbling fool fell in?"

"I'm not a bumbling fool!" Veronica flushed furiously. The burn in her scalp had regressed into a steady ache, and she felt as if Wonka had actually gone and pulled out full handfuls of her hair rather than just grabbing it.

"Yeah, but you were about to be one if you weren't careful!"

"You were the one who made me fall in the first place!" Veronica staggered to her feet, running a hand through her disheveled hair.

"You were about to touch the chocolate. I couldn't let that happen, now could I?"

"So you'd rather pull me back up by my hair?"

A large, beaming smile spread over Wonka's face in such a way that Veronica knew that inside he was laughing at her. "Yes, that's it exactly!"

She looked stonily at him. "Right. Fine." With that, she spun on her heel and stormed away, back over the bridge and towards her cottage. Wonka watched with curiosity as she ran inside and slammed the door behind her, wondering what, exactly, she was so very upset about. He had saved her (and his chocolate), after all. He was sure that her hair would understand, anyway. He held his hand up, from which dangled a few shining strands that had come loose.

_Nice. _He thought, then turned and walked back toward his chambers, grabbing a candy apple on the way. His white teeth sank into the succulent red with a satisfying, juicy crunch as the doors to the glass elevator closed, and he soared back to from where he came.

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Deadlyfuzzies: Well, that was a kind of short chapter, but the next one is going to be really long, I promise! My, these two don't seem to be getting along at all, do they? Ah, well – don't worry, things will all come out in the wash eventually. Thanks again for the support and reviews!


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